Advice

[Jc3131]

For food ideas check out the book "the 8 week blood sugar diet". I found it invaluable for meal ideas when I was first diagnosed

Cheers I've just ordered it. £2.50 bargain.

 

[Jc3131]

Did any of you feel a bit unwel when your sugar levels started to drop? My levels are around the 6-9 mark and i feel rough. Keep getting headaches and my vision is all over.

Dr gave me some urine testers for ketones today just as a precaution. Hes happy with my progress and kept my meds the same.

I just need to shift this sickly and lethargic feeling.

John

 

[auroralapetite]

Did any of you feel a bit unwel when your sugar levels started to drop? My levels are around the 6-9 mark and i feel rough. Keep getting headaches and my vision is all over.

Dr gave me some urine testers for ketones today just as a precaution. Hes happy with my progress and kept my meds the same.

I just need to shift this sickly and lethargic feeling.

John

Hi John, I got a few false hypos at 7s and 8s when I was first diagnosed. Apparently it's because your body gets used to the higher glucose levels and needs to readjust to what normal numbers are.

 

[Jc3131]

I want to let you know ive had an update from the drs. Its came as a shock but for some reason i knew this was coming.

They did a blood test 3 weeks ago and they have found antibodies in my blood. I have been referred to hospital as a type 1 case. I have got my levels down under 9mmol and sometimes around the 4.4s on type 2 meds but its not the correct meds.

Im in shock at moment as I cannot even think about injecting myself with insulin. I had a right carry on with the finger tests never mind an injection.

Cheers John

 

[Jc3131]

Also ive done a ketone test and that was negative.

 

[BeccyB]

I want to let you know ive had an update from the drs. Its came as a shock but for some reason i knew this was coming.

They did a blood test 3 weeks ago and they have found antibodies in my blood. I have been referred to hospital as a type 1 case. I have got my levels down under 9mmol and sometimes around the 4.4s on type 2 meds but its not the correct meds.

Im in shock at moment as I cannot even think about injecting myself with insulin. I had a right carry on with the finger tests never mind an injection.

Cheers John

Well John, the good news is that Type 1's have more freedom when it comes to eating carbs! Many find the low carb diet makes it easier to manage but once you've learnt how to adjust insulin doses you can in theory eat whatever you want!

Try not to worry about injecting - it sounds really scary but you'll soon do it without thinking. I'd rather inject than prick my finger as the needles are so tiny these days that the majority of the time I don't even feel it, but obviously the finger pricker has to make you bleed

The main advice is the same as for type 2's - don't be afraid to ask questions, learn what you can, test and find out what works for you and most importantly don't beat yourself up - you'll get there x

 

[fletchweb]

I want to let you know ive had an update from the drs. Its came as a shock but for some reason i knew this was coming.

They did a blood test 3 weeks ago and they have found antibodies in my blood. I have been referred to hospital as a type 1 case. I have got my levels down under 9mmol and sometimes around the 4.4s on type 2 meds but its not the correct meds.

Im in shock at moment as I cannot even think about injecting myself with insulin. I had a right carry on with the finger tests never mind an injection.

Cheers John

It may seem somewhat daunting but today's needles are very sharp and fine. When I was 5 I used to inject myself with something that resembled a spear (a bit of an exaggeration but you get the point - oops how's that for a pun LOL)

Anyway, I use very fine needles and about 95% of the time I don;t even feel it. My favorite places to inject is the stomach just above the belt line and the side of my thighs. Needle technology has really improved since the 1960s. I think you will be surprised.

 

[Jc3131]

I had just started to get used to being 'classed ' as a type 2 and now this. It's a massive kick in the privates.

I thought with type 2 meds seemingly working that that's what I was, type 2.

I was planning going back to work on monday as ive felt better the last few days. But now i can't as I have hospital appointments next week.

A worrying thing the dr said was if my bg goes above 15mmol and I have ketones in my urine I have to go to A and E. The hospital said they weren't worried as my levels were ok.

 

[azure]

I want to let you know ive had an update from the drs. Its came as a shock but for some reason i knew this was coming.

They did a blood test 3 weeks ago and they have found antibodies in my blood. I have been referred to hospital as a type 1 case. I have got my levels down under 9mmol and sometimes around the 4.4s on type 2 meds but its not the correct meds.

Im in shock at moment as I cannot even think about injecting myself with insulin. I had a right carry on with the finger tests never mind an injection.

Cheers John

It's good you got an answer finally. Don't be upset - finding out and getting the right treatment now will benefit you enormously.

Think of this as something positive. Too many people are misdiagnosed as Type 2 for ages before they're found to be Type 1. You're lucky in a way as you've got very good care and found out in good time

Please join us in Type 1 where there are lots of friendly people who can answer any concerns you might have

Don't be scared of the injections. Theyre not like getting a vaccination or anything. They're easier

 

[Jc3131]

Cheers. Im totally lost off at the moment. Too much searching on the internet has my head done in.

 

[azure]

Cheers. Im totally lost off at the moment. Too much searching on the internet has my head done in.

Keep it simple to start with

You're not alone. They are lots of people with Type 1 who,were diagnosed as adults. Now you have your diagnosis, make sure you get the right meds and see a consultant asap.

If you want a book, Think Like A Pancreas is a fantastic book for Type 1s and a friendly read.

Have a browse through the Type 1 section here.

Important things to remember are that its not your fault in any way and that there is no cure (iso ignore the **** on some dodgy sites online) but there are advances every month You can control Type 1

When you're ready, ask whatever questions you want in the Type 1 section.

 

[pamital]

Thanks for this! I'm currently doing a vlcd which I'll follow up a lchf lifestyle or 5:2. My eyes are awful at the moment but I have researched it. It's quite scary actually. I can barely see my phone sceen so I've had to enlarge the text!

Hello! Recently got diagnosed myself and thought I'd give some tips I've found useful in this period.
Also had blurry vision and it has taken about 2 weeks for it to start normalizing.
I noted you say you work night shifts. Is it possible to have a talk with your boss about that? I read a study not too long ago stating that blood sugar levels have a tendency to be a bit more chaotic in night-time workers. Although I am sure some of the veterans here can help work around that.
Around my country (Norway) it seems a lot of diabetics have a tendency to look at "sugar types" and how many grams of those there are in there. Thing is; something can not be classified as a sugar, but still can have a high GI impact. (Cause blood sugar to rise; eg. potatoes or rice) as they are quickly broken down into sugars. Then again, you can have something that's 100% sugar types and it could be a sugar-alcohol, like sorbitol, which is an artificial sweetener that does not impact your sugar levels.
This can all be quite confusing, but from what I have found out there is a lot of vegetable eating involved in the LCHF.

For example, I stay away from: Corns, grains, flours, rice, potatoes, fruits and sweets. Green, sour apples are said to be good in moderation.

I do LOVE eating: Avocadoes, squash, lettuce, feta cheese (my guilty pleasure is sun-dried tomatoes, but the oil/water is loaded with sugar) and wash or avoid canned goods altogether as they are sometimes in sugary water.

I have also started eating some asparagus which is actually pretty good, baked in the oven with butter, salt and pepper.
My partner actually made me a cake yesterday with artificial sweeteners. I used a sugar-alcohol (Erythritol) which is great for baking. I've realized that there are so many work-arounds and I do not really see it as a limitation, except that I miss my occasional beer.

EDIT: about the eyes. I just started working at an eye-policlinic and I've pumpted my doctor for answers. As stated above, it will take time for those eyes to normalize. I still recommend going to the doctor's to have those eyes checked, but do not worry. In most cases it's all about the lens being swollen are shrunk. You'll get near-sighted and short sighted from day-to-day and my refractometer has perscribed me 6 different glasses the last weeks. I've also discovered that having diabetes does not mean you will get retinopathy. With good control it could be avoided entirely, but you have to do good work. Sometimes, though, it can cause retinopathy after some time. The older type 2 diabetics we're seeing at the eye policlinic who have retinopatyhy are often badly regulated and have gotten bad or little advice from their GP about how to control the blood sugar. This forum has taught me loads and in my opinion, knowledge is half the battle, so do keep reading!

 

[Scott-C]

I cannot even think about injecting myself with insulin.

Sure, I felt like that to start with before my first one, but I think maybe that a lot of it is down to the fact that most people's prior experience of injecting is having a nurse putting a fairly large needle in a vein in the arm.

But it's not like that all. It is totally different when you personally are in charge of it, it's a tiny needle, typically 4 or 5 mm, and it's not going into a vein, just into your stomach or thigh.

I still get a bit freaked out when a nurse is taking a blood sample, but me injecting myself, no problem. Completely understand you being anxious about it, but once you've had a few goes, most people say, ooh, that wasn't as bad as I thought.

Most people associate injections with pain, because of bad nurse experiences (I remember one newly qualified nurse physically scraping the needle on the outside of the vein - aaargh!) but I've never found them to be painful.

You'll have a lot to learn about how insulin works, but one main thing which I think should always be borne in mind is that insulin operates over time. It has a shape or pattern: don't know which one you'll be using but Novorapid, for example, takes about 20 mins to start working, peaks after about 1.5 to 2 hrs and lasts for about 4 to 5 hours in total. So, you need to remember that if you're doing something in about 3 or 4 hours time, such as exercise or eating again, you'll still have active insulin working to lower your sugar and that will have a bearing on what you do in terms of eating/injecting. Some of the "surprise" hypos people get late afternoon can be attributed to that last couple of hours of action kicking in.

 

[Jc3131]

Just want to bump this topic back up as I have just read it all again. It's amazing how much I have learnt since I was diagnosed. Still a very long way to go as I am still honeymooning with my type 1.

This forum and it's members have been great and the advice on board is always a help. I purchased the think like a pancreas book and have managed to read 90 pages (great for me as I don't have a great attention span) and even though a lot of the book doesn't sink in straight away, it is good to use as a reference to look up any info you need.

I was horrified reading I was getting readings of 17mmol and now realise that the readings I currently get are not too bad. Normally around the 6mmol mark on a morning and if I do get a spike after a meal it drops quite quickly.

As for injecting insulin, it's not a great thing to have to do but it's quite painless, bar sometimes I start laughing when I have to count to ten before withdrawing the needle. Nervous laugh I guess.

Just hope my worrying and the advice I received will help other newly diagnosed diabetics while searching this site.

My latest issue is that I am allowing diabetes to take over my life, which is understandable as I want to get things as right as I can. Hopefully I can look back on this in the future and wonder what all the worry was.


Cheers John

Sent from my SM-G930F using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app